American Planning Association

Kelsey Zlevor on Designing Public Spaces for Mental Health

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can a public space help someone who’s in the middle of a depressive episode? And what does it mean to design with emotional experiences in mind?...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Reverend Jessica Abell

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning introduces the groundbreaking Disruption Occurrence Index, a tool designed to quanti...

Stephanie Rouse, AICP, and Jennifer Hiatt on Books, Podcasting, and Finding Your Own Voice

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What started as a study tool has grown into a nationally recognized podcast. When Nebraska planners Stephanie Rouse and Jennifer Hiatt volunteered to ...

Planning After Bankruptcy: Detroit's Path to Recovery and Innovation

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the APA Podcast, Ann Dillemuth, AICP, chats with Detroit Planning Director Alexa Bush for an in-depth conversation about Detroit’...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Jill Locantore

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jill Locantore, Executive Director of the Denver Streets Partnership (DSP), joined co-hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall at the 2025 National Planning Con...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Mike Pritchard, AICP

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode sponsor: Caltrans Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/critical-conversations-in-transportation-planning-mike-pritchard-aicp/ Co-hosts ...

Phil Green, AICP, on What Planners Can Learn from Improv

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do improv comedy and planning have in common? According to Phil Green, AICP —more than you'd think. A practicing planner and seasoned improvise...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Wes Marshall and Trung Vo, AICP

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode sponsor: Eastern Washington University Episode URL: https://planning.org/podcast/critical-conversations-in-transportation-planning-wes-marsha...

Katelynn Morgenstern, AICP, on Planning, Social Media, and Finding Your Voice as an Introvert

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does being an introvert in a profession centered on community and collaboration mean? For Katelynn Morgenstern, AICP, Director of Planning and Zo...

The Role of Planners in Space Exploration with Justin Hollander, FAICP

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Trend Talk series, a companion podcast for APA's 2025 Trend Report for Planners, Joe DeAngelis, AICP, research manager at the A...

Planning for Wellness and Personal Resilience with Dr. Mary Beth Janke

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special NPC25 episode of the APA podcast, APA President Sue Schwartz, FAICP, interviews keynote speaker Dr. Mary Beth Janke about her experien...

The Future of Transportation Planning with Beneeta Mary Jose

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Trend Talk series, a companion podcast for APA's 2025 Trend Report for Planners, Joe DeAngelis, AICP, research manager at the A...

Empowering Youth and the Urban Planning Pipeline with Annette Koh and David Salazar, FAICP

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the APA podcast, host Dina Walters is joined by David Salazar, FAICP, and Annette Koh to discuss an initiative in Long Beach, Calif...

Building Community and Purpose: Leah Rothstein on Just Action

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special NPC25 episode of the APA podcast, host Michael Brown, AICP, conference committee chair for NPC25, engages in a thought-provoking conve...

Tom Pace on Zoning Reform and Housing Innovation in Sacramento

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sacramento, California, is at the forefront of zoning reform, tackling some of the biggest challenges in housing supply and affordability. Tom Pace, t...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: CNT's Nina Idemudia, AICP and Jacky Grimshaw

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning, hosts Divya Gandhi and Em Hall interview Jacky Grimshaw and Nina Idemudia, AICP,...

The Future of Public Sector Planning with APA President Sue Schwartz, FAICP

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Trend Talk series, a companion podcast for APA's 2025 Trend Report for Planners, Joe DeAngelis, AICP, Research Manager at the A...

Nico Larco and Kaarin Knudson on Demystifying Sustainable Urban Design

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Planners have a difficult job. In addition to being experts on their own technical field of planning, they must also understand a variety of other dis...

Housing Supply Accelerator: An Interview with Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO Robert Broeksmit

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Housing Supply Accelerator series, Emily Pasi, Director of Public Affairs at the American Planning Association, chats with Robe...

American Farmland Trust's Julia Freedgood on Planning Sustainable Food Systems for All People

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of People Behind the Plans, Julia Freedgood, author of Planning Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems, talks about the complex and fr...

Housing Supply Accelerator: An Interview With National Association of Realtors President Kevin Sears

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this third episode of the series, Emily Pasi, Director of Public Affairs at the American Planning Association, chats with Kevin Sears, President of...

The Burlington Model: How Planning-Led Reforms Transformed the City's Housing Market

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the APA Podcast, Jason Jordan, APA's Principal of Public Affairs, chats with Burlington, Vermont's former mayor, Miro Weinberger, a...

Improvise, Innovate and Involve: 3 Planners Reveal the Importance of Flipping Your Perspective

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the third episode of Short Takes, a three-part miniseries from the American Planning Association. Short Takes, hosted by Sophia Burns, brin...

Aspire, Advocate, and Advance: 2 Planners Talk Frankly About Career Challenges and Moving Up

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the second episode of Short Takes, a three-part miniseries from the American Planning Association. Short Takes, hosted by Sophia Burns, bri...

Creativity, Compensation, and Culture: 3 Planners Share Community Engagement Innovations

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first episode of Short Takes, a three-part miniseries from the American Planning Association. Short Takes, hosted by Sophia Burns, brin...

Housing Supply Accelerator: An Interview with National Association of Home Builders Chairman Carl Harris

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this second episode of the series, Emily Pasi, Director of Public Affairs at the American Planning Association, chats with Carl Harris, Chairman of...

Housing Supply Accelerator: An Interview with National League of Cities CEO Clarence Anthony

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this first episode in a new series, Emily Pasi, director of public affairs at the American Planning Association chats with Clarence Anthony, CEO of...

National Zoning Atlas Founder Sara Bronin is Empowering Communities to Transform Land Use

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Zoning reform has become a topic of national interest, not just among planners and local decision makers, but also in the national media and in everyd...

Megan Oliver on How to Plan for Happiness in Cities

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Planners can design places for many purposes: to promote commerce, to protect us from natural disasters, to uplift historical significance. As mental ...

Anaid Yerena and Rashad Williams on Building an Equitable Future of Planning

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The history of planning includes racist policies and practices that have resulted in entrenched inequity and enduring systemic barriers. Understanding...

Rediscovering Roots: Planner Jewell Littles Walton Uncovers Family Ties to Tulsa's Black Wall Street

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jewell Littles Walton is an urban planning and real estate professional with a career spanning multiple decades. She joins Dina Walters, a member of A...

Shain Shapiro on Taylor Swift and the Benefits of a Music Policy for Your City

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to essential services and the stakeholders of a city, music and the people who make up a music ecosystem may not always be mentioned in ...

Taiwo Jaiyeoba on How Planners Can Lead Through Zoning Reform and by Crafting Equitable Comprehensive Plans

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Addressing systemic racism and entrenched inequity has become an imperative for many institutions. Planners are in a unique position to make a big cou...

Robert Goodspeed on How Exploratory Scenario Planning Helps Imagine Uncertain Futures

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It seems the word “unprecedented” has been used so often to describe everything from the weather to public health in recent years that the only ce...

YouTuber and Planner Dave Amos on Teaching a Crash Course in Urban Planning, One Video at a Time

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The average person on the street may not know what a planning professional does, but they probably have opinions on traffic, housing, and the many oth...

Planning to Ensure Longevity for Small Minority-Owned Businesses

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this APA podcast - part of the Planning for Equity series - Bobby Boone, founder and chief strategist of &Access, discusses economic development st...

Embracing Heritage: How Culture Influences Your Planning Work

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this APA podcast - part of the Planning for Equity series - Daniel Besinaiz, senior comprehensive planner at the City of Colorado Springs, shares h...

Disability Advocate Rebekah Taussig on Built Environment Barriers You Might Not See

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Three-plus decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, the built environment remains a maze of obstacles. According to the Centers f...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Misty Klann and Cole Grisham

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every two years, the American Planning Association Transportation Planning Division publishes the State of Transportation Planning Report with the int...

Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Jane Golden: Planning and Public Art Ignite Change

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Philadelphia is a public art epicenter — and not by chance. The city has long institutionalized investment in local muralists through programs like ...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Tamika Butler

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every two years, the American Planning Association Transportation Planning Division publishes the State of Transportation Planning Report with the int...

‘Arbitrary Lines’ Author Nolan Gray on Zoning Reform and Hitting Planning’s Reset Button

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the old saying goes, “when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” For decades, zoning has been the hammer swung by cities at ...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Judy Shanley and Claire Stanley

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every two years, the American Planning Association Transportation Planning Division publishes the State of Transportation Planning Report with the int...

Philadelphia CIO Mark Wheeler: Web 3.0 and Blockchain Could Bring Transparency to Smart Cities

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While it’s hard to have missed the buzz that’s been building around blockchain over the last five years, it’s easy to be confused and overwhelme...

Planner and City Official Nithya Raman’s Vision to End Homelessness in Los Angeles

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of L.A. City Council’s newest members, Nithya Raman, ran on a platform of addressing homelessness and advancing inclusivity in city government. ...

Critical Conversations in Transportation Planning: Olatunji Oboi Reed

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every two years, the American Planning Association Transportation Planning Division publishes the State of Transportation Planning Report with the int...

Navigating Mobility Justice with Naomi Doerner

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As a growing number of cities develop mobility justice initiatives, Naomi Doerner, MUP, is helping planners navigate these efforts to address system...

The Intersection of Hip Hop and Planning with Michael Ford

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode of the People Behind the Plans podcast, guest host Jason Pugh, AICP, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, president of the National Organizatio...

San Diego County Tackles Affordable Housing and Climate Change

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dahvia Lynch, AICP, the director of Planning & Development Services for San Diego County, talks about her agency’s bold plans for housing and climat...

Cascading Hazards with Dr. Michael Greenberg

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Resilience Roundtable series, host Rich Roths, AICP, speaks with Michael Greenberg, Ph.D, distinguished professor at the Edward...

Fighting Climate Change in Cities With Biodiversity and Nature-Based Design

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the People Behind the Plans podcast series, host Courtney Kashima, AICP, is joined by Rasmus Astrup, partner and design principal a...

TikTok's TalkingCities Makes Urban Planning Fast and Easy to Grasp

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you're not on TikTok, you might not know that urban planning is going viral. But accounts like TalkingCities, run by Paul Stout, and others are dis...

Artificial Intelligence and Urban Planning: What Planners Need to Know Now

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You might not realize it, but artificial intelligence, or AI, already affects your life in countless ways. Your favorite wayfinding app? It’s powere...

Philadelphia is Transforming Vacant Lots into Climate-Resilient Pollinator Gardens

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vacant lots make up nearly 17 percent of land in U.S. cities. A history of disinvestment has contributed to a significant overlap between neighborhood...

We Need to Outthink Wildfire, Not Try to Eliminate It

10 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With an unprecedented season of wildfires barely in our rearview mirror, National Fire Protection Association veteran Michele Steinberg comes on the R...

The City-Making Process Gets Focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in This Planner's Work

26 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cherie Jzar, AICP, has worked in more than a few areas of planning — from airport, transit, and comprehensive planning to community outreach and eng...

"Feminist City" Author Leslie Kern on Envisioning More Equitable Urban Spaces

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is a feminist city? Who is a feminist city for? How do different groups of people experience the cities we live in now? And what does it all mean...

Why Planners Need to Prepare for Urban Air Mobility

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

According to NASA, by 2028, urban air mobility is likely to be a commercially viable market for air metro services in the U.S. In addition, companies ...

Planning for Volcanic Activity in Hawaii

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2018, eruptions from the Kīlauea volcano caused widespread devastation to Hawaii's Big Island. It decimated more than 700 structures and uprooted ...

Katanya Raby Continues Equity Work of Civil Rights Giant Al Raby

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Urban planner, artist, and activist Katanya Raby joins host Courtney Kashima, AICP, to talk about her work at the Office of the Mayor for the City of ...

Is Your Environment Limiting Your Functioning?

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Esther Greenhouse has a unique job title: built environmental strategist. She is also an environmental gerontologist, specializing in design for older...

AARP's Rodney Harrell on Changing Demographics and Livable Communities

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rodney Harrell, a planner and AARP Public Policy Institute's vice president of Family, Home and Community, thinks the biggest policy problem we face i...

Why We Need More Intergenerational Policies, Programs, and Places

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You've probably heard the term "multigenerational," but what about "intergenerational"? Matthew Kaplan, professor of Intergenerational Programs and Ag...

Tamika Butler on Antiracism, Equity, and Self-Care Through Solopreneurship

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a watershed year comes to a close, Tamika Butler, Esq., founder and principal of Tamika L. Butler Consulting, joins host Courtney Kashima, AICP, on...

Seeking Justice and Showing Communities Love Through Planning

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When social justice planner Monique López, AICP, MCRP, MA, talks about her anti-racist, values-driven participatory planning and design firm called P...

How El Paso Reimagined Capital Improvement Planning During COVID-19

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The fiscal impacts of COVID-19 are forcing cities to significantly rethink their budgets and spending decisions. But when projected revenue shortfalls...

Planners Are Helping Small Businesses Become Resilient Amidst the Pandemic

02 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When the coronavirus pandemic dramatically halted normal economic activity in March, many knew small business owners and their employees would not com...

A Medical Anthropologist Says Planners Are Vital to COVID-19 Recovery

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What do natural disasters and the coronavirus pandemic have in common? Quite a bit, in fact. Medical anthropologist Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana joins host...

Harnessing Data and Knowledge of New York City Facilities to Respond to COVID-19

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

New York City's response to COVID-19 required unprecedented creativity and collaboration among its city agencies. Bob Tuttle, director of the New York...

How COVID-19 Has Underscored the Digital Divide

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has underscored yet another reality that planners already knew: Broadband access — or reliable, high-speed internet access — is a necessi...

Centering Equity and Climate Action in COVID-19 Recovery

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As cities around the world address COVID-19 challenges, they're reimagining how they use policy tools to meet the needs of their residents. In Portla...

Immigrant Experiences, Economic Development, and "Third Places" in the U.S. — and Australia

08 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a second-generation Australian and a globetrotter who's studied and worked in New York and Chicago, Samantha Choudhury understands how critical soc...

Moving Planning Commission Meetings Online During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Big-City Perspective

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging planners around the country to rethink how they work with various shelter-in-place and social distancing guidelin...

The Future of Fast Food After COVID-19, Coding and Planning, and More

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Planning magazine editors get together — virtually — to recap some of the stories from the April 2020 issue. First up are drive-thrus: In the ...

How Boston Responded to the COVID-19 Crisis

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Boston is currently a hot spot for the new coronavirus. Like many municipalities across the country, it's taking unprecedented action to respond to th...

What Planners and Public Sector Agencies Need to Know About Cybersecurity

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With millions across the country now working remotely to curb the spread of COVID-19, cybersecurity and data protection issues are top of mind for jus...

How E-Commerce Affects Land Use — And How COVID-19 Affects E-Commerce

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This episode features a dynamic conversation between Planning magazine editor-in-chief Meghan Stromberg and Lisa Nisenson, vice president for new mobi...

Moving Planning Commission Meetings Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mid-Sized City Perspective

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from Matt Hoffman, immediate Past Chair of the Fayetteville, Arkansas, Planning Commission, about how the city continued — virtually — with i...

Planning as Caring, Managing Large-Scale Solar, Becoming an Effective Manager, and More

28 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the podcast series Cover to Cover, the Planning magazine editors review the contents of the March 2020 issue: from an interactive m...

Rezoning East Harlem, Rethinking One-Size-Fits-All Public Engagement

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of People Behind the Plans, host Courtney Kashima, AICP, catches up with Traci Sanders of WXY Studio in New York. Traci serves as the ...

Uncovering Transit's Gender Gap, Preserving Texas Freedom Colonies, and More

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the APA Podcast, the Planning magazine editors sit down to recap the urban planning trends and ideas from the February 2020 issue. ...

Long-Term Disaster Recovery Planning in Florida

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of the Resilience Roundtable podcast series, host Jim Schwab, FAICP, speaks with Julie Dennis of OVID Solutions about her experiences ...

CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman: Making Change Is Relationship Building

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of the People Behind the Plans podcast series introduces listeners to CMAP executive director Erin Aleman, the first woman and first plan...

Resiliency Efforts and Planning Without Zoning in Houston, Gender Mainstreaming Preview, and More | Cover to Cover

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Cover to Cover, a new series giving planners an insider look into the stories in APA’s Planning magazine. Each month editor Meghan Stromb...

Resilience Roundtable: Ivis Garcia Zambrana, AICP, PhD

21 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017. Maria, the more destructive of the two, devastated the island in myriad ways. It wiped ou...

Resilience Roundtable: After the Camp Fire, Part 2

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In a two-part episode, Bill Siembieda, AICP, PhD, talks with Butte County, California, planning staff about the aftermath of the 2018 Camp Fire — on...

Resilience Roundtable: After the Camp Fire, Part 1

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In a two-part episode, Bill Siembieda, AICP, PhD, talks with Butte County, California, planning staff about the aftermath of the 2018 Camp Fire — on...

People Behind the Plans: Kelwin Harris

16 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Certain concepts in the planning sphere can be hard to make tangible for residents, but property taxes is not one of them. Kelwin Harris knows this re...

People Behind the Plans: Todd Vanadilok, AICP

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when you’re an urban planner who loves comics? If you’re Todd Vanadilok, AICP, you create your own planning-themed comic series. Th...

People Behind thePlans: Enessa Janes, AICP

01 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How well do the people in your area know their neighbors? Enessa Janes, AICP, PhD, considers it one of the most important questions for communities to...

The Compton's Transgender Cultural District

27 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017, San Francisco designated six blocks of the Tenderloin neighborhood as the Compton’s Transgender Cultural District. In the first episode of ...

People Behind the Plans: Julie Burros

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Burros sees arts and culture not only as an end in itself but also as a way planners can solve intractable problems. Throughout her career, she'...

People Behind the Plans: Donald Shoup, FAICP

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

By his estimation, Donald Shoup, FAICP, thinks about parking more than anybody else. That seems plausible, as he's been a longtime advocate for progre...

People Behind the Plans: Dan Parolek

31 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of increasing density in a neighborhood is frequently an off-putting concept for residents, but Dan Parolek has a solution: the "missing midd...

People Behind the Plans: John Rahaim

30 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

During NPC19 in San Francisco, host Courtney Kashima, AICP, sat down with John Rahaim, the city and county's planning director. On the table during th...

People Behind the Plans: Jana Lynott, AICP

29 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How livable is your community? The AARP Livability Index sets out to tell residents just that, based on ratings in several categories: housing, neighb...

People Behind the Plans: Sadhu Johnston

21 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The City of Vancouver, British Columbia, has a lot to brag about. City manager Sadhu Johnston knows that many of its successes are due to smart, colla...

Resilience Roundtable: Pete Parkinson, AICP

09 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Pete Parkinson’s planning career has spanned not only decades but also various California counties. As a result, he’s familiar with a wide range o...

People Behind the Plans: Trevor Dick, AICP

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Trevor Dick, AICP, hates dry planning events. That means whenever he's involved in a National Planning Conference session — like the always popular ...

Resilience Roundtable: Lieutenant Emily Ussery and Jack Heide, AICP

31 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In the third episode of the APA Podcast series Resilience Roundtable, host Rich Roths, AICP, talks with community planner Jack Heide, AICP CFM, and Li...